Matt Petersen with TSD 1st graders, who love their new rain barrels -- and saving water.
We’re in Austin, TX, today to see the green upgrades made at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD), the winner of our Green School Makeover Competition – to save electricity, reduce waste, and save and reuse water. CEO Matt Petersen joined our competition sponsor Pureology for today’s visit to the school to see first-hand the changes they have made to become more environmentally friendly, healthy, and energy-efficient.
Here’s what’s been happening behind the scenes at the school since winning the $65,000 prize from our competition.
Saving Energy:
Light fixtures were retrofitted with energy-efficient bulbs.
Saving Water:
Manual faucets were replaced with hands-free faucets with sensors to turn them off automatically.
A new water filtration system was installed to replace the school’s use of water bottles. (TSD expects to save 88,000 bottles of water each school year — $20,000 on bottle water costs!)
Rain barrels were installed to collect water from the roof to use on campus for areas that do not have irrigation.
Reducing Waste:
Recycling bins were installed next to every trashcan on campus.
Hands-free dryers were installed in restrooms to reduce paper towel waste.
Photos from the day:
